Southwestern Deserts

November, 2006
Regional Report

Web Finds

Slow Food USA
Taste, Tradition, and the Honest Pleasures of Food is the banner on the Slow Food USA Web site. Find a local group or "convivium" in your area dedicated to such concepts as plant and animal biodiversity, education, connecting with food producers, and enjoying good food. Check out the foods listed on the U.S. Ark of Taste, describing regional food products and where to obtain them. Categories include beverage, grain/cereal, cheese, fruit, herb/spice, meat/poultry, meat products, nuts, legumes, fish/shellfish, vegetables, wine/vinegars, and prepared foods. There's also a forum and calendar of events.

Books

Endangered Plant and Animal FoodsRenewing America's Food Traditions: Bringing Cultural and Culinary Mainstays from the Past into the New Millennium, edited by Gary Paul Nabhan and Ashley Rood (Center for Sustainable Environments, Northern Arizona University, 2004; $12), lists 700 plant and animal foods believed at risk for extinction. The list was compiled by food historians, farmers, plant explorers, genetic conservationists, and agricultural activists. The book also describes the Top 10 Most Endangered Foods as well as 10 Success Stories. (The book can be downloaded free from http://www.slowfoodusa.org/raft/publications.html).